As the summer quickly comes to an end, I’m thankful for all the amazing summer evening golden hour photography sessions. This is one of my favourite engagement photography sessions from this past July. This location is so versatile with a Lakeview, mountain bluff and beach – Bertram Creek Park is one of my favourites!
One of the best parts of being a Kelowna Wedding Photographer is that I get to travel all over the Okanagan for weddings and engagement sessions!
For Kiara & Ben’s Naramata Engagement Session, we four-wheeled it up the mountain in Ben’s jeep to this beautiful location on his family’s property. I get to see views and locations that I wouldn’t be able to see otherwise! How lucky am I??
We had so much fun and I can’t wait for their wedding in 2021!!
Venue: Predator Ridge
Planning: White Orchid Weddings & Event Planning
Florals: Sweet Elegance Florals
Decor: Defining Decor
Hair & Make-up: Saara Labib
DJ: Airwaves
Officiant: Randy Hamm – Young Hip & Married
Videography: Matt Vautour Films
Photography: Heatherly Photography
What can I say about Laura and Brett?
Well… to start, the first time I met this adorable duo, I took them UNKNOWINGLY to a nude beach. A hidden nude beach. And naked people just started emerging from the trees surrounded the beach, which utterly confused us. By the third person and some exploration, we realized we were definitely the trespassers. You know… with all our clothes on and whatnot. Needless to say, it made for a hilarious and memorable first meeting!
Their beautiful Summerhill Pyramid Winery wedding had far less nudity than their engagement session, thank goodness! Although, it was SO windy during their mountain top first look and first set of bridal party photos, that many of them could have ended up dress-less! We decided to cut it short and resume later in the day because it was just far too windy!
There were so many fun moments over the course of the day – from the sabering ceremony where Laura’s dad had WAY too much fun, to the pogo stick competition, sweet and tearful speeches, I couldn’t have been happier and more honoured to spend the day with this beautiful couple!
Venue: Summerhill Winery
Florals: Blushing Rhino
Hair: Kathryn Ramsay Esthetics
Make-up: Bri Stein Artistry
Officiant: Bonny Thorne
DJ: Alex Bird
Dress: Pearl & Dot Bridal
Dress Designer: Anais Anette
Cakes: Kakes By Kathie
Attire: Indochino
Second Photographer – Carly Barnett @ Barnett Photography
Gabby and Cam got married at one of my all-time favourite venues; Silver Sage Stables.
Guys! This venue is so incredibly beautiful. The barn and wood provide an incredible canvas for any wedding decor, the golden wheat field is the MOST beautiful (who doesn’t want to get married in the middle of a wheat field?!), especially in the evening during golden hour (just look below), and the whole property is surrounded by mountains. Any direction you look, there is beauty.
The beautiful thing about this wedding was…. well… everything. But what I love the most is when an incredible group of vendors come together to make a bride and groom’s dreams come true. I got to work with some of my favourite people of all time. Gabby, who is on Team Top Knot made the obvious choice in having Sara on board as her planner and decorator. Sara and Gabby are both two of the most incredible humans on this planet and I’m keeping them both forever (don’t worry, I’ll share!). The colour palette for this wedding was such a breath of fresh air for me! Let me tell you… I just LOVE it when I get to photograph at a unique venue with unique decor. It keeps the creative juices flowing and fills my heart with pretty warm fuzzies. Sara is a genius when it comes to providing something beautiful and unique for her couples. Petal and Vow provided the florals for the wedding party and reception and they were breathtaking! The bridesmaids carried floral hoops rather than bouquets – another favourite of mine!
Gabby and Cam opted out of having a first look and waited to see each other at the ceremony. I love this way of planning the day because the excitement and anticipation really get the tears and emotions flowing! After the ceremony, the light was so incredible beautiful. Wedding party and family portraits took place and then we ate the most delicious food from The Chef Instead. I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that this was some of the best wedding food I’ve ever eaten – and I’ve eaten at a lot of weddings! Not to mention, at the end of the day, we were sent off with fresh, homemade donuts. WHAT?!?! I don’t think that anyone except wedding vendors can understand how much of a gift that is!
After dinner we snuck out for a quick couples’ session with Gabby and Cam as the sun set. This is quite possibly my favourite part of the day, not only because the light is the most beautiful at this time of day, but also because the wedding couple get to spend a moment away from guests and just get to take it all in. They can have a moment to be together and not have to entertain their guests. They just get to enjoy the moment together. It’s a beautiful time!
Enjoy these images of this incredible day!
Venue – Silver Sage Stables, Vernon
Decor and Planning – Top Knot
Florals – Petal and Vow Floral Design
Catering – The Chef Instead
DJ – Les Darroux
Cake and Dessert – Sugar Sweet Cake Co.
Officiant – Esther Pearson
Hair & Make-up: Jessie Voss & Andrea Nelson
One of the best things about being a Kelowna wedding photographer is that I get to go to wineries. Lots of wineries. Lots of wine. Even better is that I get to go to amazing wineries like 50th Parallel Estate Winery, nearly every weekend (jealous?). The view is incredible! Just incredible!
Alannah and her ladies prepared themselves for the wedding by drinking champagne and juice with fresh berries at Sparkling Hill. No big deal. The guys got ready in a villa at Predator Ridge. No big deal.
The two met at 50th Parallel Estate Winery for their first look with their wedding party peeking from above on the stomp pad. The ceremony took place overlooking the Okanagan Lake and the rain in the distance. After the ceremony, they were driven away in a 1960’s white Cadillac.
My absolute favourite part of the day was Adam & Alannah’s first dance. If you know me, you know I am a big softie and a family gal. The two danced to a recorded version of a song, sung by Alannah’s late grandfather. There weren’t many dry eyes, including my own!
The truth is, there are so many amazing details about this wedding, that you’ll just have to go ahead and take a peek at this blog post. Make yourself a tea, coffee, or grab a glass of wine and enjoy!
Venue: 50th Parallel Estate Winery
Getting Ready Location: Sparkling Hill Resort
Florals, Tables & Chairs: A New Leaf Floral Design
Coordination: White Orchid Wedding Consulting
Cake & Desserts: Whisk Cake Co.
Guitarist: Jeff Piatelli
DJ: Al, DJ Haymaker
Officiant: Karen Belshaw, Marry Us
Catering: Basket Case Picnics
Hair & Make-up: Kurspa Salon at Sparkling Hill Resort
Dress: David’s Bridal
Men’s Attire: Indochino
Shuttle: Distinctly Kelowna
1960’s Cadillac: Nixdorf Classic Cars
Finding beauty in the imperfect is what I’ve really been loving lately. Now, you are going to look at Ceone and Patrick and you are going to think… “Ummm, Heather! These two are perfection!”.
I agree. These two are beauties, inside and out.
BUT… they were happy to let the wind blow in their faces, to let Ceone’s hair blow all over the place, to let the cold water splash on them, pretend those rocks were the most comfortable sofa, and be alright with the fact that the sun fell behind the clouds before we were ready for it to. Sometimes, expectations are not met. We have an idea about how we would like things to end up, but it doesn’t always work that way. We wanted that beautiful Okanagan sunlight. We got it, but only briefly.
This engagement session is proof that when you just let the things you don’t have control over, unfold… beautiful things can happen!
Embrace the imperfections. Be affectionate. Let the love happen!
Happy engagement Ceone and Patrick!
